Companies, Brands . . .

Sphero’s cute car-shaped robot is driven to teach kids about programming.  It includes puzzles that require logically giving computers instructions.  It’s called the Sphero indi, and kids can use different-colored silicone tiles to give the car instructions, letting them create courses and mazes (and hopefully learn how to logically solve problems while doing so).

Rollplay announces launch of hero line Pedal Drifter  The Pedal Drifter has already been nominated for a prestigious Top 10 Spielzeug (Top 10 Toys) award in Germany. Available from September, the new pedal vehicle is suitable for for kids from two years of age and comes in a stylish airplane design. 

Get a First Look at Masters of the Universe: Revelation as Mattel Unveils the Masterverse. A new era of Mattel’s fantasy franchise arrives this summer with the July 23 premiere of Masters of the Universe: Revelation on Netflix. This week, Mattel released the first stills from the new animated series along with a look at Masterverse, a line of 7-inch scale, super-articulated action figures.

MGA Entertainment Celebrates 20 Years of Bratz with Doll Relaunch.  They shook up the fashion doll aisle in 2001, and now the Bratz are back. MGA Entertainment is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Bratz brand with a yearlong run of activations, kicking off on May 21 with the return of the original Core 4 characters: Cloe, Sasha, Jade, and Yasmin.

Madame Alexander Launches New Dolls for 2021  The new Peekaboos line (for ages newborn and up) is available on Amazon, with each doll dressed in a hooded outfit to encourage young ones to play peek-a-boo with their new doll. The plush dolls are available in three different animal-themed outfits — Llama, Uni-Cat, or Sloth. Additionally, the My First line and Huggums line this year are debuting baby dolls in new skin...

Sport Bigs Debuts Toys Dedicated to Women's Sports   New toy company Sport Bigs is celebrating female athletes by launching a line of talking toys dedicated to women’s sports. The line includes 18-inch plush celebrating only women’s sports and inspired by famous athletes.

Sport Bigs will direct portions of proceeds from the toys into women’s sport sponsorships, athlete compensation, and additional grassroots...

MEET THE BRAND-NEW CARE BEAR: TOGETHERNESS BEAR. For the first time in at least a decade, the Care Bears, an iconic brand with millions of fans spanning generations, will introduce Togetherness Bear, a brand-new Bear to join the group. The newest Care Bear friend focuses on togetherness, acceptance, inclusivity, and loving what is unique about you, messages that are so important for kids growing up.

Bossing It | Basic Fun’s Tim Ives: ‘The toy industry is headed in an exciting direction’.  This quarter, ToyNews is catching up with Tim Ives, the new general manager for the UK and ROI at Basic Fun to learn what the role means to him, his ‘best of’ career highlights, and the serendipitous nature of launching Lincoln Logs to the UK

Mattel Unveils Helen Keller Doll — the Newest Addition to Barbie's Inspiring Women Series.  A doll inspired by Helen Keller will hit shelves at retailers nationwide and on Barbie.com on Tuesday. Keller, who notably did not let being both deaf and blind keep her from learning to communicate, will be the latest historical figure to have her likeness immortalized, Mattel announced on Tuesday.

Hasbro Named to 100 Best Corporate Citizens List for 10th Consecutive Year  3BL Media has named Hasbro to its annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking, recognizing outstanding environmental, social and governance (ESG) transparency and performance among the 1,000 largest, U.S. public companies. The 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking is based on 141 ESG transparency and performance factors in eight pillars:...

CAMP LAUNCHES E-COMMERCE PLATFORM FOR KIDS TO SHOP FOR GIFTS. Retail is evolving, and Camp is charging forward with a new platform that allows kids to shop safely online with a preset budget controlled by a parent or guardian. The Camp Present Shop is being billed as “the first e-commerce platform where kids can safely shop online.” It’s designed for kids ages 3-12 and serves as a safe space to pick out and...

HASBRO, PARAMOUNT RELEASE FIRST TRAILER FOR ‘SNAKE EYES: G.I. JOE ORIGINS’ The hype for Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins began at Toy Fair New York last year, and following a pandemic-related detour from its original theatrical launch last October, the big-screen reboot of Hasbro‘s popular military franchise is back on track for a July 23 debut.

Pocket.watch's Love, Diana - heading across the globe  The Love, Diana brand has enjoyed an incredible 6 months since its launch in Oct 2020; Pocket.watch's Danny Spronz tells us more. Danny Spronz, managing director, EMEA, Pocket.watch, tells Toy World what the standout new girls’ property Love, Diana offers licensees and retailers, its plans to develop and expand the franchise, and why YouTube is reaching more kids...

Zapf Creation - moving with the times  As Baby born marks its 30th anniversary, Rachael Simpson-Jones spoke to Kasia Leskow, Zapf Creation marketing manager, about why the  brand has stood the test of time. The company has entered 2021 on strong footing, seeing YOY growth despite the numerous challenges in the marketplace. 2020 saw Zapf’s sales increase,

(the above posted after May 14th)

Katy Perry releases new single featuring Pikachu as part of ongoing Pokémon 25th celebrations Pokémon’s 25th anniversary celebration continue with as the recording artist, Katy Perry releases her new single and video, Electric, starring non other than the franchise’s best-loved character, Pikachu. Perry created the track especially for Pokémon 25: The Album, which will be released this autumn by Universal Music...

Hasbro, Inc. is hosting their inaugural Monopoly Charity Classic Event this May, featuring Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip), Josh Gad (Frozen), Ellie Kemper (The Office), and Daymond John (Shark Tank). Participating celebrities will battle it out virtually for the $350,000 Community Chest in celebration of Monopoly updating all 16 of its Community Chest Cards. Fans can tune into the game live on Hasbro and Hasbro Gaming’s...

Story Time Chess won a Gold Stevie Award in the Game-based Curriculum Solutions category for the 19th Annual American Business Awards. Nicknamed the Stevies — from the Greek word for “crowned” — the American Business Awards allow organizations of all sizes in the U.S. to submit nominations, including public, private, for-profit, and nonprofit. Awards will be virtually presented to winners during a live event...

PBS KIDS selects creators for podcast accelerator.  EXCLUSIVE: Career growth and play are at the heart of its podcast pilots from indies, PBS North Carolina and The Brooklyn Library. Six teams of podcast creators have been chosen to participate in a pilot accelerator program run by PBS KIDS, PRX and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). They’ll each produce a pilot episode for their concept that may end up on PBS...

The Entertainer extends its Quiet Hour shopping initiative to run every day across all 171 stores  The family-owned high street toy retailer, The Entertainer, has extended its Quiet Hour initiative to run every day in every one of its 171 stores across the country, in a bid to create a calmer shopping environment for autistic people and shoppers uncomfortable with the hustle and bustle of the shopping experience. 

Board games veterans launch All About Games consultancy  The founders say All About Games is a unique consulting company created to serve the board games industry. Three Asmodee veterans have opened a new and unique consulting company for the board games/tabletop industry: All About Games. The founders, Carol Rapp, Cedric Delobelle and Daniel Steel, share between them more than 60 years of passion,...

Just Play Products LLC announces opening of UK subsidiary Jan 2022  Just Play has already established new subsidiaries in Australia and New Zealand, and says the UK entity will further bolster its global expansion. The company has grown consistently for over 11 yrs and now ranks as one of the leading companies in NA.  Just Play benefits from global business hubs in Florida, Pennsylvania, California, Hong Kong and China...

Netflix to launch first L.O.L. Surprise movie. EXCLUSIVE: The brand is unboxing its first feature film in October, and it will support a major new toy push, says MGA's Anne Parducci. L.O.L. Surprise: The Movie (working title) is a 45-minute mixed-media adventure that stars a young girl who finds herself in the popular dolls’ CG-animated world, where she must help them create a movie.

TOMY enters a licensing agreement with Unanico & Raydar Media to produce toys inspired by the Netflix Original Series, Buddi. The series geared toward kids under 4 launched last year and seeks to build “emotional intelligence through the lens of imagination with non-verbal cues, sowing early seeds of creativity.” Buddi follows five bright and colorful friends that exude joy as they...

Mattel Games‘ latest UNO deck is dedicated to celebrating inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community. UNO teamed up with the It Gets Better Project (IGB) — a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting, empowering, and connecting to the LGBTQ+ community globally — for UNO Play with Pride. The colorful, 112-card deck is available exclusively at Target beginning this month.

LEGO and The LEGO Foundation make $1million donation to Save the Children India  The LEGO Group and the LEGO Foundation are making a $1 million donation to help Save the Children India support families and children most at risk in Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and West Bengal from the most recent outbreak of Covid-19. The money will be used to deliver learning to around 20,000 children aged three to …

New Monopoly Lifesized experience encourages players to get on board  An immersive game, to open in London this August, will see players moving around a 4D full-sized board and taking on challenges as they go. Hasbro has teamed up with Gamepath (a new division of international theatre producer Selladoor Worldwide) to bring together the board game, escape rooms and team challenge. 

First The Entertainer-branded store to open in Spain  Based in Valencia, the store was part of the Poly Group’s store estate and has been refurbished and rebranded to look like a typical The Entertainer store in the UK.  Two and a half years ago, The Entertainer acquired Spanish toy retail chain Poly Group, giving the retailer a firm foothold in the Spanish market. However, this latest move takes The Entertainer’....

Playmobil unveils two new Back to the Future sets  A Hoverboard Chase set and Marty’s Pick-Up Truck have joined master toy partner Playmobil's exclusive Back to the Future collection. The first Playmobil DeLorean Time Machine was launched in 2020, when the iconic time-travelling car from Back to the Future in a miniature format generated a great deal of hype.

Goliath’s The Floor is Lava game sees sales heat up  Vivid Goliath says The Floor is Lava is fast becoming a hot property in the toy industry, with a huge growth in sales this year and popular celebrities getting in on the action. The popular children’s playground activity, which sees kids attempt to avoid touching the floor at all costs by leaping from one object to another, launched as a game for autumn/winter last year and...

Mattel Gives Barbie And Other Toys A Green Makeover With New Recycling Program. Mattel is giving parents a way to keep past-their-prime Barbies, castoff Matchbox cars, and unwanted Mega construction bricks out of landfills with a toy takeback program announced today.

The program, Mattel PlayBack, promises to give unloved old toys a second life by recycling their plastic parts into new products.

Lemada licenses Accentuate's Rats to Riches for Israeli market Accentuate and Lemada have worked together on localized content to ensure relevance of the Hebrew version of Rats to Riches in Israel. Lemada has already secured listings with Israel’s largest on-line shop K.S.P., as well as with a variety of independent game stores in the Israel. 

All dolled up – Mattel on the Dolls category. Kelly Philp tells Toy World what Mattel considers to the biggest opportunities in the Dolls category, and talks new additions and expansions. Mattel is expanding its presence in the Dolls category for 2021, with the July launch of new fantasy-themed large doll, My Garden Baby, additions to its licensed doll ranges including Spirit and Harry Potter, and expansions to Polly Pocket...

Nintendo Switch production 'more uncertain' due to semiconductor shortage. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has warned that Switch production may be affected by the ongoing semiconductor shortage.  Speaking during a recent financial Q&A, Furukawa explained that while demand for Switch hardware continues to exceed Nintendo's expectations, production is still playing catch-up due to "tight supply...

Kappa Toys launches glow-in-the-dark experiential toy store at Area15 in Las Vegas. What just might be the world’s first toy store dedicated to glow-in-the-dark and light-up toys is opening in Las Vegas this week. Kappa Toys is expanding its footprint as Las Vegas’ destination toy store with a new location, this time in Area15, an entertainment, retail, and experience complex located minutes from the Vegas strip. 

Mattel reveals Masters of the Universe: Revelation action figures. Netflix has released the first official images from the upcoming animated series Masters of the Universe: Revelation! In addition to the first photos from the show however, Mattel has released the first official photos from the Masterverse action figure line which will enable fans to bring these iconic characters to life at home.

Asmodee USA and Z-Man unveil 'Pandemic: Hot Zone - Europe'. Asmodee USA and Z-Man unveiled Pandemic: Hot Zone - Europe, the second game in the Hot Zone series, for release on July 9. In Hot Zone- Europe, players are tasked with halting the spread of disease across the European continent. The players must work as team to discover the cures for three diseases before they infect all of Europe. 

'Munchkin' explores Russian myths and monsters. Steve Jackson Games will release Munchkin Russia, a new card game based on Munchkin, into retail in September.This new version of Munchkin, developed by Pavel Iliin and Dmitry Moldon, delves into the myths and monsters of Russian folklore. Players can fight monsters like a Troll Factory, KGBirds, Rasputin, or even a Hangover with their Russian Wolfhound and ...

Ultra PRO unveils 'Ascension: 10 Year Anniversary Edition'. Ultra PRO unveiled Ascension: 10 Year Anniversary Edition which is now on preorder at distributors.A decade ago, Magic Pro Tour champs Justin Gary, Rob Dougherty, and Brian Kibler designed a fantasy deckbuilder that would become a hit and spawn multiple expansions. Now, Ultra PRO is celebrating the release of this epic card game by offering the special...

CMON will release 'Bug Hunt' into trade. CMON will release Bug Hunt, a new family board game, into trade on June 4. Bug Hunt is a family-friendly board game where players collect their matching bugs for their collection. They construct a Bug Shrub and randomly add bugs to it. Each turn, they reach into  the Bug Shrub's tunnel opening and attempt to grab one that matches their set. 

Manage spellcasting with 'Pathfinder Spell Cards: Secrets Of Magic'. Paizo, Inc. will release Pathfinder Spell Cards: Secrets of Magic, a new spell deck for Pathfinder RPG, into retail in October. Pathfinder RPG players can catalogue, sort, and master every last incantation with this new spellcasting accessory. It comes with over 400 spell reference cards that span every magical tradition and focus spell from Secrets of Magic. 

The 'Solar Opposites' are headed to Funko! Funko, Inc. will release Pop! Solar Opposites figures into retail in June. Look out, collectors of Earth! Everyone's favorite dysfunctional alien family, from Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan's hit Hulu streaming series,  are getting their own Pop! Funko figures. This wave of Pop!s  includes Pop! Terry, Pop! Korvo, Pop! Jesse, and Pop! YumYulack. Each figure will retail for $11.00. 

TRAPPED Escape Room Games unveils second series of escape room game packs. TRAPPED Escape Room Games, the range of titles designed to turn any room into an escape room, has detailed the arrival of its second series of escape experiences, with three new themed titles, taking places to the zoo, into space, and onboard a plane. Called The Zoo, Mission to Mars, and Flight 927, each new TRAPPED game pack comes with ...

'Styx, Lord of Hounds' unleashes his ferocious followers on 'Godtear'. Steamforged Games announced Styx, Lord of Hounds, a new champion expansion for Godtear, which will release into retail on August 12.   Styx allows players to bend the rules of death, and weaken their defenses. He comes with Abyssal Hounds that can be used to circle an enemy banner and destroy it.

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